Splash shield for vacuum coolers



Patented Aug. i9, 'i947 SLASH SHIELD FOR VACUUM COOLERS Arnold il. Heineman, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Guardite Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Application April 6, 1945, Serial No. 586,992

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a splash shield, and more particularly to a splash shield for use in multi-stage coolers.

rihe invention will be described in connection with a multi-stage cooler designed primarily for cooling distillery mash and slop.

Fig. 1 of the drawings represents a vertical section of the lower portion of a five stage vacuum cooler;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the shield; and

Fig. 3 is a plan View taken along the line 3 3 in Fig. l.

The multi-stage cooler comprises a shell Iii suiiiciently strong to withstand substantially total vacuum. In this particular case the shell contains ve cooling chambers of which one chamber Il and a portion of a second chamber lla are illustrated in the drawing. The remaining chambers are substantially identical and are superposed within the shell. Each chamber is connected through a vacuum line l2 to a suitable evacuating pump or other evacuating means, preferably a multi-stage steam iet. The bottom oi each chamber is formed by a plate i3 which, except in the case of the lowermost chamber, is also the roof cr ceiling of the immediately lower chamber. This plate serves to collect the unevaporated liquid and is directed to the nozzle ll which opens into the next lower chamber and sprays the liquid therein through a restricted orice. A liquid level is of course maintained above the nozzle.

In a typical installation distillery slop would be introduced to the uppermost chamber at approximately 197 F., while a pressure of 6.68 inches of mercury is maintained therein. The temperature is thus immediately reduced to 145 F. and the distillery mash is introduced into the chamber at this temperature. The mixture iiows into the succeeding chamber which is maintained at 3.95 inches of mercury and a temperature oi 120 F. is immediately produced. The residual liquid iiows to the third chamber in which a pressure of 2.24 inches of mercury and a temperature of 100 F. is produced. The residual liquid flows to the fourth chamber where a pressure of 1.41 inches of mercury and a temperature of about 90 F. is produced. In the fifth stage a pressure of 0.87 inch of mercury and a temperature of about '75 F. is produced.

The pressure difference between successive stages is suicient that when the liquid is introduced it ashes into iinely divided particles owing to the generation of steam. With the arrangement here shown these particles tend to be carried over into the evacuation line and to spatter over the sides of the vessel. The present arrangement directs the particles into the proper channels and also confines the liquid during the time that the dashing of steam occurs.

As best shown in Fig. 2, a splash shield I5 is welded to the ends of the nozzle. This splash shield comprises a horizontal plate IS and an annular edge portion II which slopes downwardly and outwardly at an angle of about Underneath the shield is a splash plate I8 having an apex I9 immediately beneath the center of the nozzle at about 2 inches below the lowermost end thereof. The upper surface of this plate is divided into two sloping edges 20, each of which slopes downwardly and outwardly at an angle of about 15. This plate is carried on the pedestal 2| which in turn is mounted on the base 22 which has an open upper surface 24 and edges 25 which slope downwardly and outwardly, the angle with the horizontal being about 30.

A typical example in which the nozzle is 3 inches inside diameter, the splash shield is 27 inches in diameter in the horizontal portion thereof, and the edges are 131,@ inches wide, measuring from the inner edge to the tip, and 101/2 inches deep. The width from the inner edge to the inner edge of the lowermost portion is approximately 44 inches.

The splash plate I8 is 17 inches across, 3 inches in height, and the upper surfaces thereof slope 2 inches and 81/2 inches.

The base 22 is approximately '7 feet across at the bottom and 1 foot in depth. The open top portion thereof is approximately 31/2 feet in diameter.

'I'he dimension of the splash plate and the splash shield are such that the liquid coming through the nozzle is directed downwardly onto the outer edges 25 of the base 22.

It will be observed that the liquid is brought into the expansion chamber or cooling chamber II under an internal pressure much greater than that prevailing in the chamber and that as a result an explosion occurs which cools the liquid and divides it into small particles. 'Ihe purpose of the shield and splash plate is to establish a shielded area within which the explosion occurs and from which the exploded liquid in small particles is directed in a predetermined direction after the explosion has been completed. All ex'- plosions occur where the resulting particles may be driven toward the umbrella like plate 22 so 3 that substantially all the particles impinge thereon. A similar basic arrangement is shown in my Patent No. 2,420,396 issued May 13, 1947, on an application led later than but co-pending with this application.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: i

1. In a multi-stage vacuum cooler for a liquid, a series of superposed vacuum chambers, a tray in the bottom of one chamber forming a portion of the roof of the next lower chamber said tray being adapted to contain a portion of the liquid being cooled at all times during the operation of said cooler, a nozzle communicating with the tray beneath the liquid level and opening into the next lower chamber, a shield about the nozzle having downwardly and outwardly sloped edge portions and an open bottom, a splash plate within the shield immediately below the nozzle and having edge portions outwardly and downwardly inclined and terminating well within the shield, whereby said splash plate delects substantially all liquid discharged from the nozzle upwardly and outwardly against said shield.

2. In a multi-stage vacuum cooler for a liquid, a series of superposed vacuum chambers, a tray in the bottom of one chamber forming a portion of the roof of the next lower chamber said tray being adapted to contain a portion of the liquid being cooled at all times during the operation of said cooler, a nozzle communicating with the tray beneath the liquid level and opening into the neXt lower chamber, a shield about the nozzle having a horizontal portion adjacent the nozzle and a downwardly and outwardly sloping annular edge portion a splash plate within the shieldlimmediately below the nozzle and having edge portions outwardly and downwardly inclined and terminating well within the shield said splash plate having a diameter approximately one-third to one-half the diameter of said shield.

3. In a multi-stage vacuum cooler for a liquid, a series of superposed vacuum chambers, a tray in the bottom of one chamber forming a portion of the roof of the next lower chamber said tray being adapted to contain a portion of the liquid being cooled at all times during the operation of said cooler, a nozzle communicating with the tray beneath the liquid level and opening into the next lower chamber, a shield about the nozzle having downwardly and outwardly sloped edge portions and an open bottom, a splash plate within the shield immediately below the nozzle and having edge portions outwardly and downwardly inclined and terminating well within the shield, and a bottom plate well beneath the shield having edges sloping downwardly and outwardly, the size and shape of the shield and splash plate and their location with respect to the bottom plate being such as to direct residual liquid from the nozzle to the edges of the bottom plate.

4. The method of introducing a volatile liquid under a high internal pressure into a zone of substantially lower pressure wherein an explosion occurs by reason of the pressure difference which comprises introducing the liquid into the low pressure zone within a shielded area within the zone, maintaining the liquid within the shielded zone during the explosion by changing the direction of movement of substantially all of the liquid at least twice within said area, the last change of direction of movement directing thel resulting cold, small particles of the liquid from the shielded zone in a predetermined path.

ARNOLD H. HEINEMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Nuinbcr Name Date 223,277 Chamberlin Jan. 6, 1880 1,386,426 Riddle Aug. 2, 1921 571,940 Binford Nov. 24, 1896 1,483,990 Schmidt Feb. 19, 1924 1,904,590 Wexler Apr. 18, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 52,460 Austria Mar. 11, 1912 

